Mechanism for the manufacture of barrels



(No Model.)

W. H. CRAM. MEGEANISM Pon THB MANUPAGTURB 0F BARRBLS.

No. 401,931. PatentedApr. 2s, 1889.

Invenvr. Willi amm.'

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICEo WILLIAM HARRIS CRAM, OF NORTH NINDI-IAM, MAINE.

MEcl-llANlsM FOR THE MANUFACTURE oF BARRELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,931, dated April23, 1889.

Application filed July 26, 1886. Serial No. 209,187. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HARRIS CRAM, of North Windham, in the countyof Cumberland, in the State of Maine, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Mechanism for the Manufacture of Barrels; and I do herebydeclare the same to be described in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1represents a longitudinal section of the machine. mediansection of thecomplete barrel. Fig. 3 shows one way of connecting the abutting ends ofthe two sections of the hollow vessel.

Such a barrel has its body in one entire piece of paper-pulp, the sidesand heads being formed and connected at one operation.

In Fig. l, A represents a hollow vessel, case, or shell of barrel form,it being divided transversely at its middle into two sections, a and a',which butt together with a stuffed or close joint, and there they havein practice suitable means for connecting them to each other and forenabling them to be disconnected in order for one of them to be drawnendwise away from the other. One way of connecting these sectionsisshown in Fig. 3. One section, a', has an overhanging lip, fn, with agroove, n', and projections n2. The other section, a, has acircumferential groove, p, in which loosely fits an annulus, p',provided with projections p?. By turning this annulus so that theprojections p2 Vcome behind the projections u2, the sections a and a areheld together.

The vessel A is supported by two tubular shafts, I3 and C, extending inopposite directions from its heads and concentrically therewith, asrepresented, one of such shafts having a diameter larger than that ofthe other. Theptwo shafts are supported or j ournaled insuitablebearings in four or any other proper number of standards, -D.The said shafts near theirouter ends extend through stuffingboxesb,projecting from hollow boxes E and E', the shafts at their outerendsopening into `such boxes.

' Directly over the vessel A is a horizontal conduitF, that opens intothe boxes E and E. by vertical branch pipesGr G', one of which, Gr, atits upper part is connected with the conduit F by an interveningflexible extension' Fig 2 is a longitudinal and' or part, F which is ahose of sufficient length to allow of the section a of the VesselAbeingdrawn far enough away from the section a for the removal of a barrelfrom the machine after completion by it of such barrel.

The two standards D, by which the tubular shaft B is supported, extendupward from a carriage or platform, H, having its wheels resting on arailway, I, such being to enable the part a to be removed, as described,relatively to the parta of the Vessel A. From the middle of the conduitF a pipe, C', leads to an air-exhausting pump, K. l

Concentrically within the vessel A is the barrel-mold L, which, by meansof a series of lugs, d, is maintained at a distance from the innersurface of the Vessel A and concentric therewith, there being anair-space, e, not only between each end of the mold and the nextadjacent one of the Vessel A, but entirely around the sides of the mold.This mold is barrel-shaped, as shown, and is perforated with numerousholes, as represented at e. It has' a foraminous metallic lining, f,whose innery surface is covered with a lining, g, of cloth orfinely-woven wire. The end portions, h, of the mold are separable fromthe sides, which, like the vessel A, are in two sections, it', abuttingand searfed together at the middle of the mold, the whole being toenable the section fi to be drawn away fromthe section i', as occasionmay require. Each end portion, 71 slides endwise into its side sectionof the mold, and is movable endwise by screws 7c, tted to revolve in thehead of the vessel A and screwed into the head or end portion of themold.

Ooncentrically within the tubular shaft C is av pipe, P, which goesthrough the box E and a stufing-box, Z, extending therefrom, andcommunicates with an air-forcing pump, N. Furthermore, there leads intothe pipe P a branch pipe, O, for introducing paper or Wood pulp into thesaid pipe P, and thence into the interior of the mold, into which thepipe P is led and opens, as represented in Fig. l. The said pipe P isstationary while the mold and the shell or case A are being revolved bythe pulley T,`in order for the pulp to be uniformly spread over -theinner surface of the mold.

In making a barrel by the machine above described the pulp is to becaused to flow into the interior of the mold, and such mold and IOO thevessel or case are to be simultaneously and slowly revolved. ln themeantime air is to be extracted from the space or spaces between themold and the casingA by the pump K. This extraction of air will causethe pulp by atmospheric pressure to be very powerfully forced againstthe inner surface of the mold, so as to form the entire barrel withinthe mold. After there has been a suitable amount of the pulp supplied tothe mold, and while the air is being extracted from the space about themold, air is to be forced through the pipe P into the mold. This air,acting against the pulp with additional pressure, operates to compact itand to drive the water therefrom int-o the space about thc mold, suchwater being extracted from such space through a pipe, R, arranged asrepresented, and opening into the tubular shaft B and supported thereinby a head, s, fitted therein and perforated with holes. The pipe R goesdown within the space between the head of the mold and that nextadjacent of the case A. .Vhen the pipe R is vertical, water that maygather in the lower part of the space about the mold can be extractedtherefrom through the pipe B along with air which is being exhaustedfrom the latter. After the barrel may have been thus formed in the mold,the two sections of the case are to be disconnected, so as to allow ofthat marked a, being drawn endwise away from the other, pressure beingexerted against the heads of the screws k to support the head of themold while the section within the section CL of the case is beingstarted from the barrel. On this starting of the section from the barrelthe said section with the section a and the next contiguous mold-headare to be drawn away from the barrel a suiiicient distance to enable itto be fully extracted from the other section of the mold, from the sidesof which it may be started by forcing in the screws of the othermoldhead. After the barrel may have been drawn out of the mold, such'barrel is to be desiccated, there being in one head of such barrel around hole, u, (see Fig. 2,) which will have been formed by the pipe P,and will answer the purposes of the ordinary bung-hole.

I claim- 1. The mechanism, substantially as described, consisting in theperforated mold and its surrounding case, each made in sectionseparable, and arranged as represented, the tubular shafts projectingfrom the said case and supported on bearings in standards, theair-exhaust boxes at 'the outer ends of such shafts, the air-exhaustpump and its pipes leading from such boxes, the railway and carriage forsupporting the standards of one of such tubular shafts, the air-pressurepump and pipe, and the pulp-charging pipe, all being arranged to operateessentially as set forth.

2. The combination of the water-discharge pipe with themechanism,substantially as described, for pressing a barrel in one piecefrom paper or wood pulp, as explained, such mechanism consisting of theperforated mold and its surrounding case, each made in sectionsseparable, and arranged as represented, the tubular shafts projectingfrom the said case and supported in bearings on standards, theair-exhaust boxes at the outerends of such shafts, the air-exhaust pumpand its pipes leading from suchl boxes, the railway and carriage forsupporting the standards of one of such tubular shafts, the air-pressurepump and pipe and the pulp-charging pipe, such Water-discharge pipebeing applied to one of the tubular shafts and extended therefrom downwithin the space between the next adjacent heads of the case and themold, as

specified.

WILLIAM HARRIS CRAM. lVitnesses:

R. H. EDDY,

R. B. ToRREY.

